As a pitcher for the El Paso Diablos of the American Association, an independent professional baseball league, Whigham was on the mound in the fourth inning of a close battle against Grand Prairie on July 2, 2009.

Hoping to close out the inning, the Stephen Decatur graduate fired a pitch straight toward the plate, but before he knew it, the ball was flying straight toward him.

A line drive hit struck Whigham’s head directly in his right temple. The ball had fractured the pitcher’s skull and caused an epidural hematoma, which required emergency surgery.

Whigham could have died that day.

The sport that he had played and excelled in all his life had suddenly put him in a hospital bed fighting for his life.

But he survived, and ultimately returned to the mound to play nearly four more years of baseball before retiring in August 2013.

While he had dreams of making it to baseball’s biggest stage, Whigham found another calling in life a few years after his injury.

It was no longer about his journey with a baseball, but instead about the wisdom he could pass on to up-and-coming ballplayers.

In 2014, on the anniversary of his near-fatal accident, Whigham started the Delmarva Aces, a developmental baseball and softball program designed to enhance athletes' skills and get them to the next level.

Knowing the demands it took to get to the college and professional level, Whigham wanted to give back to the Shore and begin an organization where he could still be involved with sport he loved.

“I had worked my entire life to get to a single point … and I put all this pressure on myself,” Whigham said. “I became a person by faith, and I saw that maybe the big leagues for me wasn’t playing, maybe the big leagues for me is what I’m doing right now. I think what happened was meant to happen this way, and it’s been great.”

"The people around here support us"

During the past four years, the Aces have seen its share of success, housing teams and athletes from 7U to 18U, while participating in several national events.

Working with a staff of 15, the organization trains 24 teams with nearly 290 players from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia — specifically the Delmarva Peninsula.

Whigham and his coaches are primarily focused on getting athletes committed to the next level, promising their money back if they don’t receive at least one offer from a college program.

Once a player from the Aces signs with a team, their accomplishment is displayed on the wall of bases that sits at the facility’s front entrance in Berlin. Recently, the organization hit its 50th athlete to make it to the next level, giving Whigham a strong sense of pride and excitement.

“You always have these dreams, and you always have this mission you’re trying to achieve … I always thought it would come to this, but I didn’t think it would come so quick,” Whigham said. “The people around here support us, and they really believe in us, and it’s pretty cool.”

But less than five years ago, the Delmarva Aces didn't seem like a possibility.

Although he was still playing baseball, Whigham went into a dark place, where he said he sometimes contemplated suicide.

His entire life, he had trained to make it to the MLB and pitch for one of the best baseball organizations in the world. When that future was taken away, it took some time to accept.

But between support from his family and his faith, Whigham finally saw the bigger picture and worked his way out of the darkness.

Whigham would never pitch in the MLB, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a hand in helping another athlete get to the spot he had been desperately chasing for years.

“Baseball is a wonderful thing, but it can be taken from you, so you need to appreciate every day you're around it,” Whigham said. “If I had died on that field that night, my life would have been taken away. I look back, and that head injury, I’m glad it happened because it led me here.”

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Tristan McDonough is a member of the Delmarva Aces and will play at the University of Miami next season.(Photo: Staff Photo by Ralph Musthaler)

Whigham said he’s experienced more than he could ever imagine.

Between his accident and creating the Delmarva Aces, the Eastern Shore native worked in sports information for Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

He has Bachelor of the Arts and Master’s degrees, and has pitched in several baseball leagues, including the Frontier League in 2012 and the Austrian Baseball League.

"This is my home"

Whigham can often be found attending high school baseball games in the spring, stationed just behind home plate and the umpire watching every angle of the game he played for so many years.

But through everything he does, his core mission continues to be giving back to Shore athletes.

“This is my home — this is where I’ve been my entire life,” Whigham said. “You’re starting to see, there’s so many good players here. There’s so much talent and so much opportunity here. I’m a local supporting locals guy. I’m a huge supporter of Delmarva, and I love this place.

“This is the place I always knew I’d come back to.”

As the Aces continue to grow, Whigham expects more college commits, more athletes to sign up and more opportunities to teach kids the game of baseball.

A fastball to the skull practically shattered any chance the Aces’ founder had of making it to the pros. But through adversity, he found a new purpose and has dedicated his life to it.

Whether it’s an athlete picking up a baseball for the first time, or a high school star looking to make the jump to the college level, Whigham and the Aces’ staff are ready to provide the necessary training and assistance.

Because if it wasn’t for support and encouragement, Whigham said he may not be here today.

“I make the kids feel worth,” Whigham said. “It’s a huge thing for me for a kid to feel worthy. My big push going forward is have these kids enhance their self-worth. This facility is always open … we’re always ready to work with anyone.”